Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend will descend on
Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Mass. this weekend with four teams
vying for the league title. The top-seeded Denver Outlaws will take
on the No. 4 seed Long Island Lizards at 1 p.m. Saturday followed
by the second-seeded Chesapeake Bayhawks taking on the No. 3 seed
and defending champion Boston Cannons at approximately 4 p.m. The
winners of those two games will meet in the championship tilt
Sunday at 3 p.m.

No. 1 Denver Outlaws (11-3)

Faceoff: Anthony Kelly (58.4-percent with
Denver, 53.6-percent for the season)

Goalie: Jesse Schwartzman (11.03 GAA, .540)

How they got here: The Outlaws finished the
regular season with a 15-13 victory over the Chesapeake Bayhawks to
earn the No. 1 seed. The victory was the team's sixth consecutive
win and its eighth in nine games. The rookies have stepped up and
veterans Mundorf and Schwartzman have come up huge.

Why they can win: Denver has an incredible
offense. They led the league in scoring this year with 216 goals
and have a deep roster of playmaking attackmen and midfielders,
like Mundorf, Sieverts, Poillon, Jordan McBride and rookie Mark
Matthews said.

"MC Hammer was quoted recently after watching a little bit of
the Outlaws offense and he said, 'Can't touch this,'" former Outlaw
Nolan Godfrey said.

Denver's defense, while not as hyped as its offense, has quietly
been strong. The Outlaws have given up the second-fewest goals in
the league.

They're the hottest team in the league right now, playing their
best lacrosse at a very opportune time. They also have the best
away record in the league (6-1).

Why they can lose: The target is on the
Outlaws' back. They, along with the defending champion Cannons, who
are playing at home, have the most to lose right now and the
pressure could be too much. The Outlaws have been the playoffs each
of the seven years they've existed in MLL, but have yet to win the
championship.

Also, Anthony Kelly has been a revelation for the Outlaws since
a midseason trade. Denver is fifth in the league right now in
faceoff winning percentage (47.7 percent) but take away Kelly's 87
faceoff wins out of 149 attempts with Denver and the Outlaws
success drops to 42.0 percent, which would put them at seventh in
the league. The problem is Kelly has fought through several
injuries this season. Should another freak injury occur or Kelly's
body wears down the Outlaws would be in a lot of trouble against
any of these teams with very strong faceoff units.

Words from the opposition: "That's a very
talented offensive team and you have to cover them for 60 minutes,"
Chesapeake Bayhawks head coach Dave Cottle said.

How they got here: The Bayhawks boast arguably
the most balanced team in the league. They are third in goals for
(first in 2-point goals scored), first in goals against and fourth
in faceoff winning percentage. They lost two of their final three
games to slide to the second seed, but offseason veteran additions
such as Drew Westervelt, John Grant Jr., Briand Spallina, Nicky
Polanco and Kip Turner have paid huge dividends for this team on a
mission.

Why they can win: No team shoots the 2-point
shot better than Chesapeake and no player shoots from beyond the
arc better than Kyle Dixon. His 15 2-point goals set an MLL record,
breaking one that he previously set himself. The 2-point shot
capabilities mean that Chesapeake is always in the game and the
team can really make opponents pay for penalties.

Turner has been strong between the pipes for Chesapeake. He
holds the league's best goals against average and second-best save
percentage.

Why the can lose: Penalties. Spallina (18
minutes) and Polanco (12.5 minutes) are first and second,
respectively, in the league in penalty minutes. And neither played
in all 14 games. The Bayhawks are third in the league in penalty
killing percentage but if they continue to tempt fate and go a
man-down against the elite teams in the league they will get
burned.

Words from the opposition: "This team simply
executes with precision and consistency. Losing to Denver [to end
the regular season] couldn't have come at a better time as it will
incite a riot of passion in each Bayhawk player," Godfrey said.

No. 3 Boston Cannons (9-5)

How they got here: Boston started the season
with a dominating four-game winning streak. They lost five of their
next seven to put a potential playoff berth—where they would
defend their title on their home field—in jeopardy. But the
Cannons ended the season on a three-game winning streak that
started with a victory over then league-leading Bayhawks. It was a
struggle to get here, with the target on Boston's back, but now
that the champs have joined the party you cannot count them
out.

Why they can win: They are the defending
champions returning the majority of the core of last season's
successful squad. They have arguably the best player in the league
in Paul Rabil. The offense is so deep, with players like Rabil,
Ryan Boyle, Kevin Buchanan, Matt Poskay and Ari Sussman. In fact,
this group is so strong they swept the individual scoring titles:
Rabil set the MLL record for most points in a season, Poskay led
the league in goals and Boyle led the league in assists. They have
championship experience and skill.

Why they can lose: The defense is aging a bit
and hasn't been as consistent this season as in years past. Boston
was still third in the league in fewest goals allowed, but some
games, especially in some losses, they've given up a large amount
of scores. Jordan Burke's goals against average rose this season
and his save percentage dropped almost 10 percentage-points.

The Cannons also are seventh in the league in 2-point goals
scored. The playoff games are expected to be intense, close affairs
and Boston will face Chesapeake, the league leader in 2-point goals
with nearly three times as many as Boston. In a close game an extra
point or two could prove extremely crucial to the outcome.

Words from the opposition: "Chris [Eck] and I
battle hard and often," said Long Island Lizards faceoff specialist
Greg Gurenlian. "Every time we play each other it looks like both
of us score a goal and we kill each other. I have such respect for
him and his game and I always look forward to playing against
him."

No. 4 Long Island Lizards (8-6)

How they got here: The Lizards backed into the
playoffs, losing their final two games of the season. But
well-timed long winning streaks earlier in the season kept Long
Island far enough ahead in the standings that the team was able to
stay in the top four.

Why they can win: The Lizards are playing with
house money. This season was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but
the rookies (Gibson, Tommy Palasek, C.J. Costabile and Will Mangan)
have made big contributions immediately. If they can maintain a
high-level of play despite the magnitude of the stage and Greg
Gurenlian can go into "beast mode" and dominate at the faceoff X
and push possession in Long Island's favor—thus limiting the
time Denver's potent offense has the ball—Long Island has a
shot to score the upset.

Why they can lose: The offense cannot go cold.
In three of the team's six losses—including the past
two—the Lizards have scored fewer than 10 goals. In the last
three losses Seibald has scored only three goals and has one
assist. In the first seven games of the season (when the Lizards
played each playoff team once) Stephen Peyser went scoreless five
times, including games against Denver, Chesapeake and Boston. If
the rookies struggle to match the intensity required to compete in
the MLL playoffs, the veterans will need to step up or else Long
Island won't be able to keep pace with the deep offenses the three
other teams boast.

Words from the opposition: "I saw a team that
played with a lot of energy, played within their system," Boston
Cannons head coach Steve Duffy said. "They played with a lot of
excitement. They played with a lot of excitement around their
faceoff guy, around their goalie, and that's infectious... They've
got some young, dynamic kids that have come in and made an instant
impact for them."